La Plaza Bakery expands to King City

Family-owned business sets sights on Salinas Valley

SOUTH COUNTY — Reconstruction has begun on what will soon be the newest bakery in King City, La Plaza Bakery, at the eastern end of Broadway.

The King City location will be the seventh for the family business managed by a team of siblings, joining bakeries in Soledad, Gonzales, Greenfield and Salinas.

“It will be ready in five months,” said Raul Rodriguez, manager of the Greenfield location. “We’re expecting to open summer of 2018 and we’re expecting to hire 24 employees.”

The process began a year ago when the owners of La Plaza Bakery spotted the property for sale in King City. The new King City site is planned as the seventh and last for the family, allowing their bakeries to span the Salinas Valley.

“We’ve kept it local because it’s easier to maintain that tradition of your food and pastries compared to a corporate business,” said Rodriguez. “Here, I can visit all the bakeries within half an hour.” He added, “We all grew up here and the valley is home.”

Part of the family’s consideration to expand southward was the customers who came to the other bakeries from King City.

“We hear good things about King City,” said Rodriguez, who added, “It’s a great place to do business.”

The family secured the same architect who designed the Greenfield bakery, which itself features large windows into both the indoor dining area and the baker’s area. The original plan was to remodel the King City building, but shifted to reconstruction to allow for the large windows and indoor eating area for 40 similar to Greenfield.

“Our goal is to have a comfortable, well-lit place to go to, with good food and good service,” said Rodriguez.

Though the King City location won’t have the same 10-foot windows to the baker’s station the way Greenfield does, it will have similar large windows to the dining area, and much closer to the sidewalk than Greenfield.

“The building there is literally going to go up to the sidewalk with the glass front,” said Rodriguez. The idea is to allow people to see in, and for diners to also be able to have a large view of Broadway.

Technological updates for the King City location will also include free Wi-Fi for customers and a separate pick-up window for phone and online orders.

Rodriguez noted, “After over 30 years in business, we’re trying to implement everything we’ve learned into the King City bakery.” He called the adaptation an exciting change for the business.

La Plaza Bakery was founded in 1982 in Soledad, and the family plans for continued decades of creating what they call their old-world recipes for cakes, cookies and lunch and dinner dishes.

“We’ve been here over 35 years,” said Rodriguez. “We’re the same people, the same family. We want the community to be part of our extended family.”

With more than 35 years in business, Rodriguez spoke of decades-long plans by himself and his siblings in running the bakeries.

“We’re there for the long run,” he said. “With a little luck, we’re preparing the next generation of our family to take part in the bakery and continue the tradition.”